Director Cathy Garcia-Molina is back with a brand new romantic dramedy, this time, trying a new pairing with Gerald Anderson and Pia Wurtzbach playing Burn and Abi respectively. “My Perfect You” is mainly presented from Burn’s perspective following a humiliating series of events that leads him shut off from the world. During his darkest times, he coincidentally meets Abi - a quirky resort-owner who is trying to revive her dying business.

Admittedly, many were skeptical about “My Perfect You.” The trailer doesn’t offer anything really new from what we’ve seen before in classic Star Cinema rom-coms, and without a proven combination of stars, it’s perhaps viewed as a non A grade project. But the film is a breath of fresh air in a genre that seems to thrive on the popularity of love teams more than the film’s narrative. Tackling several new concepts intertwined with the traditional rom-com tropes, it explores the sensitive issue of mental health in a way that it’s not too on the nose.

Anderson has proven time and time and again that he has the acting chops of a caliber actor. But it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen him offering this kind of performance, perhaps its due to a series of lackluster projects that didn’t necessarily capitalize on his abilities. “My Perfect You” is a great reminder that he has earned his right to be called an actor. The way he can easily navigate between his cheesy sequences and dramatic takes is impressive. If it wasn’t for his believable portrayal of a man genuinely in love with a figment of his imagination, the film would’ve not worked as well as it did.

Wurtzbach, on the other hand, handled her dramatic scenes really well, although some of the comedic bits didn’t pan out as good as it could’ve been. Her chemistry with Anderson was questionable at the start, but their tandem, boosted by their three other friends, eventually found its footing that by the end that their farewell was so heartbreaking.

Interestingly, Garcia-Molina seemingly tried to veer away from capitalizing on any sexual tension between that two, that could’ve easily been the first step into their relationship. Instead, its rooted on how compatible they are with each other, rounding back to the fact that Burn is creating a perfect world inside his head, which is the reason why everything is from his point-of-view and why Abi has been adamant that she can be whatever he wants her to be - because she literally can.

Obviously, overly romantic montages are necessary for the film’s genre. And while they weren’t beaten to the point of annoyance, some of them were drawn out too much while others just weren’t effectively executed (or could be just retreads from other films). Burn’s initial arrival at the resort was paced too slow, that we could’ve gone without some of the throwaway scenes.

Burn's first few interactions with Abi sometimes felt forced, but once the supporting cast kicked in, the film flowed a lot better. Nevertheless, the movie didn’t feel like it was too long considering that it clocks at around two hours, more likely due to the reveal that everything is just the by-product of Burn’s schizophrenia, flawless kicking off the third act and making people more invested in the story.

“My Perfect You’s” attempt at a rom-com that delves deep than just your usual meet-cutes is commendable. Garcia-Molina handled Burn’s special condition well that it eases the stigma on mental health without being too preachy. Instead, it presents it in a a creative fashion with its cinematography and the subtle voices that Burn supposedly hears.

At the same time, the story didn’t glorify it as nothing more than a third element in an otherwise formulaic love story. Instead it shines a light not just on Burn’s struggle to cope with it, but also his family’s in-denial and eventual acceptance of his situation that led to his betterment.

Watch full trailer trailer here:

— ALD, The Summit Express

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